Janasena chief Pawan Kalyan took office as the Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday amid Vedic chants. The actor-turned-politician has been assigned the departments of Panchayat Raj and Rural Development, Environment, Forests, and Science and Technology, as well as Rural Water Supply.
Several Janasena leaders and other well-wishers congratulated Kalyan on his new role. The deputy chief minister is scheduled to meet with senior officials for review meetings later. Notably, Kalyan is serving as the minister for the first time.
On June 12, Kalyan took oath as deputy chief minister at Kesarpalli IT Park near Gannavaram Airport in Vijayawada. In the recent Lok Sabha elections Kalyan secured a massive win from the Pithapuram Assembly constituency, where he secured a margin of over 70,000 votes, marking his entry into the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly.
Under Pawan Kalyan’s leadership, the Jana Sena Party has demonstrated remarkable improvement in its electoral performance. The party won all 21 Assembly constituencies it contested, as well as the Kakinada and Machilipatnam Lok Sabha seats. This marks a significant achievement for the JSP, which has faced considerable challenges since its inception in March 2014.
In the 2019 elections, the party secured only one Assembly seat (Razole), but the winner, Rapaka Vara Prasad, later joined the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), leaving the JSP without representation in the Assembly.